Americans' confidence in U.S. military hits 2-decade low: poll

NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Public confidence in the U.S. military continues to decline, reaching its lowest point in over two decades, Politico reported on Monday, citing a new poll.

"Only 60 percent of Americans expressed 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in the military in a recent Gallup poll conducted from June 1 to 22. That's down from 64 percent who said the same last year," said the report.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, military confidence shot up and remained high at mostly above 70 percent for two decades before dipping to 69 percent in 2021. "The confidence level has further declined since then -- potentially linked to the U.S.'s rocky exit from Afghanistan," it said.

The military still evokes the highest public trust among the 14 other institutions included in the poll. Five institutions stand as the least trusted, with newspapers, the criminal justice system, television news, big business, and Congress all garnering confidence from less than 20 percent of Americans. Congress, in particular, registers the lowest confidence at a mere 8 percent.

"The results mark the lowest level since 1997 and the steepest decline in the past five years -- mirroring a crisis of trust in several other public institutions," the report added.